6/7/10

Silly Citrus

I am a sucker for citrus during the hot summer months (well, maybe all year long). I love how refreshing and juicy it is, not to mention that sweet smell! These jello filled bites are a fun twist on the tasty fruit!

These were fun and fairly simple to make. To make them yourself you'll need:

orange, lemon and lime flavored Jello (3oz boxes)

oranges, lemons and limes (as many as you'd like to make)

boiling water

***Before we start I should mention the oranges and lemons turned out tasty, but the limes (although cute) came out kind of bitter***

Start by cutting your fruit directly in half (through the axis).

Scoop out all the insides, being careful to keep the rind in tact. I used my fingers and tweezers! The tweezers came in handy when the casing of the fruit was stuck (especially in the lemons and limes). Next rinse and dry the inside and outside of the rinds. Place them in a muffin tin and make them as level as possible.

Do not follow the instructions on the Jello box, the fruit will not hold it's shape. Instead, mix 3/4 cup boiling water and 3 oz Jello mix together (no cold water needed), mix for 3 minutes. 1 3oz box of Jello will fill about 1 large orange, 3 whole lemons or 4 whole limes. Carefully fill your rinds as full as possible with the Jello mixture, the Jello will shrink a little once it sets. Transfer to the fridge for about 3 hours. Hint: if you have a "little helper" make sure they don't slam the fridge door shut while your back is turned, causing the Jello to spill out! :)

Once the Jello has set, turn the fruit open side down and, using a sharp serrated knife, slice in half and then in half again to form quarters (my lemons and limes were too small for quarters, so I just cut them in half).Enjoy!

When I saw the pic, I thought, "How did she do that?" Now that I've read the directions, it looks pretty simple to do (and the idea of using a muffin cup to hold them level is very clever). I will absolutely be doing this in the future! Thanks for the great idea!! : )